He admits that it is not simple to pull the sugars out of non-food material like pulp or wood waste, but says that even factoring in the extraction process, the final cost should be lower than using corn starch or sugar cane, both of which are much higher-priced commodities.

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On a more philosophical level, I love the traditions of spirit distillation, and the fact that there are usually rules, like that Scotch can only be made from barley, and rum from sugarcane, whereas vodka can be made from any ingredient in which starch can be converted to sugar, be it potatoes, wheat, rye, grass, corn, soy beans or whatever the distiller finds laying around.

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